Sunday, July 3, 2011

You Can Go Back - For Photographs

Everyone was away from home, so I decided to take a drive, camera beside me, to see the old Pomona General Store. It was only forty minutes away, with nighttime and stormy skies approaching. The last time I'd been there in the 1980's, the store was a tourist attraction on the way to a natural bridge formation in the Shawnee National Forest. I remembered it fondly as a functioning piece of history, that still served sandwiches and Green River soda from an old-fashioned fountain. That was then. Now, it is a very different place. As I pulled up, it was obviously both neglected and well-kept, with customers a long-forgotten memory. Flowers were in a bed on the porch, but it was also grown up around the building. I was lucky in that the light was dramatic end-of-day light, with even more dramatic storm clouds in the background. It was perfect for both black & white and color efforts.

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After a few minutes the light was gone, and I drove home. I had gone back, though, to a place that still exudes the character of another time. I suppose this place will still be here in another thirty or fifty years, maybe longer. I hope so; otherwise, it will be a very lonely and desolate spot. These are the type of places made for photography.

About Me

Tom Bell is a fine art photographer, residing in Makanda, Illinois. A Fulbright Scholar and emeritus College administrator, he is now a full-time photographer. He won the 2009 Versace Award for Photographic Excellence, in addition to many other international, national, and regional awards. View his website at www.tombellart.com.